Constant low-level anxiety

Hello all,

I've had some moderately severe anxiety attacks a couple times in the past, and I've suffered from chronic moderate/severe depression, for which I haven't been on medication. I tried a few antidepressants, but I felt like my mood, my reactions, and my attitude were somehow artificial when I was using them. I've been without them for over a year now, and I'm beginning to come to terms with my condition, and perhaps to overcome it.

Recently, however, it's come to my awareness that I have a very low, constantly present level of mental tension that could best be described as anxiety. This anxiety isn't directed at anything in particular--it's more of a general feeling. It manifests itself physically as some of the symptoms of GAD, but only occasional, and fairly mild. It also makes me irritable, restless, more insomniac than usual (or maybe this has always been the cause of my mild insomnia), and it absolutely ruins my concentration. I find that the only activities I can do are those that take no concentration or focus whatsoever. For me, this is reading miscellaneous things on the internet, though I imagine for most it would be something like watching TV or gardening or something.

As you might imagine, this has been terrible for my job performance. Besides that, I'm afraid it could have health consequences, and it's interefering with my personal relationships. It didn't seem to match the symptoms of GAD, though, and it's no particular phobia that I'm aware of.

Is there anything else that I can look at, or is it likely I'll have to see a professional to get a diagnosis? I had a really, really bad experience with a psychiatric professional recently. It makes me hesitant to do that again. I should have asked him a few more questions about his method before starting treatment. His idea of the doctor-patient relationship was that the patient was a big box with two holes in it. You put pills in one side and take money out of the other. This was reflected not only in his actions, but in his attitude and demeanor as well.

So if I made sure the practicioner was more oriented towards psychotherapy than drug treatment, I might be better off.

Thanks for maintaining such a good forum.

Chris